Keira Jackson’s Journey Through the Particle Accelerator World and Beyond (submitted)

When I was little, I wanted to know the answer to everything. At about four or five, my parents had to limit me to one question a day, otherwise, they feared they’d go insane. How does the stove turn on? But how does it heat the food? Okay, but how do you build an oven?!

Eventually, they just started giving me encyclopedias and books on just about everything from anatomy to astronomy.

Throughout my youth, my desired professions were gastroenterologist, marine biologist, defence lawyer, philosopher, physicist—in that order. When I finally decided on a physics major for my bachelor’s at UVic, it only slightly beat out biochemistry. The reason? Physics should give me answers to the deeper questions.

However, by the end of my degree, I went from having multiple ideal professions to zero. I didn’t feel drawn to academia, and I had new questions. Questions about the arts, athletics, spirituality, and everything else I hadn’t made time for while focusing on academics.

In 2018, I took a year off to be a ‘ski bum’ in my hometown of Jasper, Alberta. When that year ended, I naturally had to do it again, but this time somewhere new.

I had my sights set on Nelson for years after seeing a photo of the picturesque hillside community in the middle of winter. It was then, while researching the town, that I stumbled upon D-Pace.

Is this fate?

Physics in industry seemed like a much better deal than physics in strict academia. I decided to shoot my shot. Lucky for me, they were growing and needed help in nearly every department including Sales, Marketing, R&D and more. I wasn’t experienced in any of these areas, but they were willing to teach me and I was willing to learn.

While at D-Pace I gained a wealth of knowledge about business and technology in the cutting-edge field of particle accelerators. I travelled to New Zealand to see where everything was manufactured and I even got to assist the founder, Dr. Morgan Dehnel, with lecturing at UBCO on medical physics (one of my favourite areas).

After C19 hit, I had something of a quarter-life crisis. Suddenly, everything felt uncertain again and I had that itch to learn something new. I parted ways with the D-Pace team in 2021, but with so much gratitude and a promise to stay in touch.

In the time since, I have earned my 200Hr and 300Hr YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) certificates, moved across BC twice, adopted two cats, started my own copywriting business, shifted to full-time agency work, got married and am currently considering new areas of further education.

Despite all these changes, one fact remains: my position at D-Pace will always be considered my first “real” job. And that milestone has shaped my path in so many ways.

Now that I’m (somewhat) settled, you’ll likely find me at the local bouldering gym, outside exploring my seaside neighbourhood, or hitting the slopes when the snow falls. I’ve also cultivated a deep practice of Yoga and breathwork to keep me grounded, and I stay creative by writing and innovating my culinary repertoire.